Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many days 607 Squadron operated from HMS Queen Elizabeth between (a) 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 and (b) 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023; when it so operated; and for what exercises it operated.

Before the period in question, 617 Squadron embarked on HMS Queen Elizabeth in early May 2021 as part of the Operation FORTIS deployment to the Pacific between May and December 2021.

The number of days which 617 Squadron were embarked on HMS Queen Elizabeth between 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 was 160 days. During this Operational deployment a wide range of Defence Engagement and regional exercises were undertaken by 617 Squadron, including participation in exercises with the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group and the USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group; Exercise Pacific Crown; Exercise Konkan Shasti; the UAE Advanced Tactics Leadership Course; Farallon de Medinilla range exercises; exercises with the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group and cross-deck exercises with the Italian Lightning fleet.

For the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 617 Squadron embarked on HMS Queen Elizabeth for 20 days conducting the Operation Achillean carrier strike group deployment.